Beaches, Bars and Only One Babe
by Mossadartninja
Summary: Tony, Ziva and McGee are sent to Florida in pursuit of a serial killer. Thom E. Gemcity returns and is free writing away. Tiva story, McAbby if you squint really really hard, like Gibbs trying to read something. P.S. I like reviews if you like new chapters
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: hello persons reading this story. this is my latest addition to the clutter on my laptop that is titled NCIS. I hope you enjoy it :)**

**Disclaimer: I can lay claim to everything that involves NCIS... no I can't. I'm going to go cry in the corner now. Oh wait! I own the serial killers in all my stories, I feel better now.**

* * *

"Good morning, Tony," Ziva chimed as she walked into the bullpen Monday morning.

"No it's not," Tony grumbled, shaking his head, which rested in his hands.

"What did you do now, Tony?"

"A better question would be what didn't I do."_And the answer would be you,_he thought. He had been up all of last night, dreaming of Ziva and the various things he could do to her to make her scream his name. He didn't really know why but she seemed to be the center of his dreams. Nothing had happened between them; nothing more then usual anyway._Maybe that's why you keep invading my dreams, because you aren't filling my_ _reality_. Tony looked across the bullpen to Ziva, almost immediately regretting it. She had her hair up in a tight ponytail, and she had chosen to wear a billowing, loose fitting shirt and her usual cargo pants to work that day.

"Why?" He moaned to himself, letting his head fall onto his desk with a loud thud.

"Are you sure you are okay, Tony?"

"He better be because we got another case," said Gibbs, swooping into the bullpen holding his signature coffee. "Where's McGee?"

"Down with Abby," Tony answered without lifting his head from his desk.

"Call him then go home and pack your bags, you're going to Florida."

"Really?" asked Tony, immediately perking up. An image of Ziva in a skimpy bikini flashed past his vision.

"Are you coming, Tony," Ziva called from the elevator, cutting through his daydream.

"Right behind you." He grabbed his bag and the file Gibbs was holding, making it into the elevator just as the doors closed. "So, what do you say to a little sunbathing?"

"We are going away for work, Tony. This is not a vacation."

"Who says we can't make it into one," he said, examining the file in his hands. "According to this we're going to get there two days before our target."

"That is so we can canvas the area and get to know the locals, not sit in the sun."

"We could do both," he said, feeling a little less confident then he was five minutes ago.

"Fine, Tony, if you really want to sunbathe the we will sunbathe." She stepped out of the elevator, leaving a slightly stunned Tony behind.

Ziva looked out her front window when she heard a car honk outside. She saw Tony's car double-parked in front of the building. She opened the window and stuck her head out.

"What are you doing here?"

"You almost ready?" Tony called up to her, leaning over the passenger seat.

"I was not expecting a chauffeur," she yelled back.

"Well you got one. Now hurry up, we got to pick up McGeek too. He _is_ expecting a ride." Ziva smiled to herself and ducked back inside, grabbing her bags before quickly making her way down stairs. Tony's mouth went dry as she walked outside. She had on a sheer, flowery blouse with a matching wrap skirt. He could faintly make out the bra and shorts she was wearing underneath. She threw her suitcase in the back seat, oblivious to Tony's awe, before climbing into the front seat, resting her small carry on beg in her lap.

"You remember your gum and magazines for once?" Tony asked, snapping out of his trance as he pulled away from the curb.

"I have gum, but I plan on sleeping for the whole trip. Plus the magazines I ordered are not here yet."

"Oh," he muttered. He had been looking forward to talking with her on the flight.

"So you offered McGee a ride but not me?"

"No, he asked me to give him a ride, and I said yes. Figured you would want one too."

"Why thank you, Tony," she smiled over at him as he stopped in front of McGee's apartment. Tony honked the horn and a few seconds later McGee appeared in the doorway, carrying an over sized suitcase.

"We're not even going to be gone for a week, McGoo, how much stuff do you need," Tony said over his shoulder when McGee got in the car.

"I'm just being prepared," McGee said in an annoyed voice.

"For what, a natural disaster?" Tony laughed, easing the car back into mid-day traffic.

"Be nice, Tony," Ziva said, patting his shoulder. "We do have to spend most of the next week with him."

"Yeah," he grumbled. They drove the rest of the way in silence; both Ziva and McGee were studying the case file while Tony drove to the airport.

"We're here," Tony announced, parking the car and climbing out, stretching his limbs.

"Finally," Ziva cried, jumping out of the car.

"We were only driving for an hour," Tony whined grabbing his bag and heading to the door.

"I could have made it in less then forty," Ziva responded, following him.

"Yes, but most of us wouldn't have lived to tell of it."

"My driving is not that bad."

"Hey, guys." They both stopped walking and turned around.

"What, McGee?" they both snapped at the same time.

"Our gate is this way." He pointed in the opposite direction in which they were walking.

"I knew that," Tony said, walking past McGee, closely followed by Ziva.

"Wait for me," McGee yelled, chasing after them. They got in line for their boarding passes, finding all the required papers they needed to carry their firearms on board.

"I don't see why we can't just flash our badges and get on. Or we could also get our own private plane," Tony complained, like he did every time they had to fly commercial.

"In Israel, we just shot people who got in our way," Ziva said, a little to loudly. They drew more then a few scared and worried looks from the people around them.

"We're Federal Agents," Tony explained to the people in front of them, flashing his badge briefly. They said nothing but took a few steps away from them.

"Next," called a ticket man.

"That's me," Tony cheered, walking forward. He handed the man his papers and ID badge.

"How many firearms are you carrying, sir?" the ticket man asked Tony.

"Just one."

"Really, Tony? Only one," exclaimed Ziva.

"Yes, Zee-vah."

"You're all set, sir." The man handed Tony his papers and ID back before tagging his bag and placing it on the conveyor belt behind his desk. "Next."

"You go, McGee," Ziva gave him a little push forward. "And don't bother waiting for me. I will meet you at security."

"You're an American citizen, Ziva. Why is it still so complicated for you to get through security?" McGee asked as he stepped forward and repeated Tony's actions.

"You have one paper for each firearm and weapon you carry, yes, McGee?" He nodded. "So do I." She held up a folded stack of at least five papers, but it looked like more to McGee.

"You're all set, sir." McGee took his things back from the man and turned to Ziva.

"We'll meet you at security then." She sighed and nodded as she stepped up to the desk.


	2. Chapter 2

"_Now boarding the flight to Orlando, Florida," _came a voice over the intercom.

"Finally," Tony moaned, taking his hat off his face and placing it back on top of his head. He looked at his watch; it was almost midnight.

"We have only been waiting for an hour, Tony," Ziva said, pulling her bag onto her shoulder.

"Feels like it's been closer to five," he complained. "Dibs on the window seat."

"Actually, Tony, my ticket is for the window seat," said McGee.

"Yes, but I'm senior field agent, so I get the window seat."

"Tony just let him have the window seat," Ziva said as she handed her boarding pass to a short woman behind the little desk. She waited for the other two before continuing down the hallway. They found their seats easily and Tony quickly slid in to take the window seat.

"Hey, DiNozzo!" McGee yelled.

"Relax, McWorry. In case you didn't notice, there weren't many people waiting to get on the plane. Just find a group of empty seats."

"Fine, but I have to sit here until everyone gets on." Ziva quietly slipped past McGee and sat down next to Tony before McGee fell into the isle seat. They waited for about ten minutes while everyone else found their seats on the plane.

"See, McGoo, the seats right behind us are empty, you can sit there," Tony said, a childish grin plastered on his face. McGee said nothing, but got up and sat down in the window seat behind them just as the flight attendant's voice came over the intercom.

"_Hello and thank you for…"_ All three ignored the voice, having heard it multiple times before.

"Nap time," Tony yawned, leaning his head against the window.

"Yup," Ziva murmured. She waited until the plane took off before reclining her chair and leaning her head back. It wasn't long before she fell over and Tony became her pillow. He lifted his head at the sudden weight on his shoulder. He smiled and tried to let sleep take him over too, but to no avail.

"Stop moving, Tony," Ziva muttered.

"I just can't get comfortable," he responded, shifting again. She sighed and sat up. She pushed both the armrests back and unbuckled her seat belt before moving to the far seat.

"Turn, and put your feet up," she ordered. Tony did, leaning his back against the window and stretching his right leg across the chairs. His other leg stayed planted on the floor, but pressed against the seats. Ziva laid back down, her head now resting in his lap and her arm hugging his left leg. His breath hitched and he felt his excitement go straight to his groin.

"You are comfortable now, yes?" Ziva laughed.

"Yeah," he said through gritted teeth. He let his hand fall from the back of the chair to her waist, his thumb gently stroking her skin where her shirt no longer covered it. "Very comfortable. You?"

"Same." _This is going to be great,_ thought Tony as he quickly fell asleep.

"Excuse me, sir, but what are you doing," one of the flight attendants asked McGee.

"Blackmail," he laughed, taking another picture of Tony and Ziva. "They're my co-workers," he explained.

"Would you mind waking them then, we are about to begin our decent."

"Sure. Oh, and could I have some water please?"

"Of course," the lady nodded and walked away. McGee sat back down and began gathering his things when the flight attendant came back with a tiny bottle of water.

"Here you go sir. Do you need anything else?"

"No, thank you." He waited for her to walk away before he stood again and leaned over the seat. He uncapped the water and let more then a few drops fall onto Tony and Ziva.

"What!" Ziva gasped, sitting up.

"McGee! what did you do?" Tony yelled. The remainder of the sleeping passengers sat up and looked over at them, obviously annoyed.

"We're getting ready to land," was all he said before taking a sip from the water.

"You could have just told us to wake up," Tony said, sitting up and stretching.

"That wouldn't have been as fun though," he laughed. "But of course it wasn't as fun as this." He held up his phone, showing the other two the picture he took of them. Tony had moved so he was almost completely lying on the three seats with his head on the armrest next to the windows. Ziva was on top of him, her arms wrapped around his waist and head wedged in to crook of his neck.

"What do you plan on doing with that," Tony asked in a very threatening voice.

"Oh, you know…" he trailed off and sat back down. Ziva turned around and looked at McGee through the seats.

"If you give that picture to _anyone,_ I will kill you," Ziva said and then turned back around.

"And I'll make sure nobody finds the body," Tony added, not looking at the probie. They both got ready for landing, saying nothing else to a now terrified McGee. He gulped and sat back, turning his phone off before he buckled his seat belt. They talked only when necessary as they made their forty-five minutes trip to the condo they were staying in.

Tony paid the taxi driver before chasing the other two up the front walkway.

"Beach front condo," he exclaimed walking through the front door. "Finally the agency does something good for us."

"It's a two bedroom one bath condo, DiNozzo," McGee said dully. "In other words, I call dibs a bedroom." With that he grabbed the bag he had put down to open the door and practically ran through the kitchen-living room area and up the stairs to the bedroom.

"This is Paris all over again," Ziva muttered after McGee had left.

"I had fun in Paris," Tony said, sounding a little upset.

"What do you recall happening in Paris, Tony?"

"You, sleeping in my arms- not entirely on purpose, but still..." He paused for a second before continuing. "I don't care how many times you say you didn't like it, I know you did." _Did I really just say that out loud?_ Tony thought. Ziva looked up at him, her mouth slightly opened.

"Tony?"

"I- I'll take the couch," he mumbled, walking away, not knowing what else to say. Ziva stood there for a second, still unable to understand what had just happened.

"Good night, Tony," she whispered as she walked by him and up the stairs.

She quietly slipped into her room, shutting the door behind her. She dropped her bags and fell onto the bed, not bothering to take off her clothes.

She _had_ enjoyed Paris and that was what scared her. Everyone she ever got close to always ended up being taken away from her. So when she had woken up with Tony's arms wrapped around her and her head resting on his chest, she had panicked. She didn't want to lose Tony, but if she admitted to herself that she loved him… she didn't want to think about what would happen. She shook the horrible thoughts from her head as she kicked her shoes off and crawled under the covers.


	3. Chapter 3

Ziva was the first awoke around ten the next morning, but she didn't get out of bed until she heard Tony moving around down stairs. She quickly changed into a tank top and cut-off shorts before going down to meet him.

"Good morning, Tony," she said, repeating her greeting from the day before.

"Hi," was all he said, before turning back to the stove, where he was cooking some eggs and bacon.

"You went shopping?"

"Yeah, couldn't sleep," he grumbled.

"Why are you so grumpy?" she asked walking around the counter to stand next to him.

"Same reason as yesterday."

"We were with you all night, Tony."

"Oh, but you weren't with me all night. If you were then I wouldn't be so _grumpy._" He dumped the food onto a plate and made his way into the living room. Ziva stayed where she was, more shocked then she was the night before.

"I'm going to go for a run," she said after a few minutes of watching Tony eat. He said nothing as she walked back up stairs.

"Hello, McGee," she said dully as she passed him in the hallway before disappearing into her room.

"Hey, Ziva," he called back, but her door was already closed. _This is going to be a long trip,_ he thought as he found his way to the one bathroom.

Ziva opened her suitcase and pulled out a baggy t-shirt, running shorts and her running shoes. She then pulled out a light hoodie and her back up gun and badge. She walked back down stairs, putting the hoodie on as she went.

"I will be back in an hour," she said to the back of Tony's head. He waved his hand lamely, showing that he heard her. She sighed before walking outside and doing her usual double check that she had everything. _Gun- _she patted her right pocket- _check; badge- _she patted her left pocket- _check; phone- not check. _She turned around and saw her phone lying on the kitchen table along with the others. She walked back inside and grabbed it, shoving it in the pocket with her badge before walking back outside and jogging down the pathway to the main road. She took an easy route along the sidewalk, scooping out the neighborhood as she went. According to their Intel, their target- Sammy Belle- was staying in the condo five doors down from them. Ziva did a lap around the block before stopping in front of the house and pretending to catch her breath. The house looked the same as every other house, on the outside anyway. She wished she could get inside to look around without blowing their cover. She sighed and took another lap before heading back to where they were staying. It was almost twelve thirty as she made her way up the front path.

"Where's Tony?" Ziva asked as she stepped inside. McGee turned to look at her from his seat on the couch.

"Beach, I think," he said and then turned back to his notebook. Ziva smiled and ran upstairs to her room. She pulled her bathing suit out of her bag along with a towel and some sun tan lotion. She put on the bikini and a flowery wrap before walking back down stairs. She passed McGee, who didn't look up as she walked out the door, and down the hundred or so foot sandy path that lead to the beach. She could see Tony sitting in a beach chair, his back to her, facing the midday sun.

"May I join you, Tony?" she asked, spreading her towel across the chair next to him without waiting for his answer.

"Do I have a choice?" he muttered, not looking at her.

"Not really." She sat down on the edge of the chair.

"That's what I thought." He turned his head to look at her and his jaw dropped. She wore a strapless green and white striped bikini; the silk wrap did noting to cover her body. "When did you buy that?"

"A few weeks ago." She dropped the wrap in to her bag and began to rub the lotion onto her arms and stomach. "Do you mind getting my back, Tony?" she asked, holding the bottle out to him.

"Sure," he stammered, taking it from her. She lowered the back of the chair so it was flat before lying down, using her hands as a pillow.

"Oh, wait," Ziva said, just as Tony was about to touch her back. "I forgot." She reached back and untied her top. Tony gulped, staring down at a completely relaxed Ziva. _Does she realize what she's doing?_ He wondered. He gulped again and placed his lotion-covered hands on her back. He heard her sigh, giving him encouragement. He ran his hands up and down her back, and then along her sides, his fingers brushing the sides of her breasts. He froze when she suddenly spoke.

"If you are going to touch me like that, Tony, at least be a gentleman and kiss me first." Tony, caught up in the moment and not really knowing what else to do, leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek. He pulled back and looked down at her, studying her face.

"That is not what I meant." She opened her eyes and stared up at him, a devilish smile on her face. She turned on her side to face him, completely exposing herself to him, before wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him into her. He groaned as their lips met and wrapped his hand more tightly around her waist. _What the hell am I doing?_ he thought as he felt her lick his bottom lip. He opened his mouth and gently pushed her back onto the chair, climbing on top of her.

"Tony," she moaned as he moved his mouth to her pulse point and began nipping and sucking at the soft skin.

"Yes, Ziva?" he asked, pausing briefly.

"You can touch me now," she groaned, pulling on his wrists, trying to get him to touch her. When he didn't comply right away she wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled them off the beach chair and into the sand. They landed with thud on the grainy earth.

"What was that for?" Tony gasped as Ziva attached her lips to his neck.

"You were taking to long. And I like it better on top." She looked down at him, a gleam of something more then just lust shining in her eyes.

"I can live with that," Tony laughed, pushing her hair out of her face.

"I know we are undercover right now, but no where did it say that we had to act like a couple."

"Who said I was acting- because that's not my knee." He smiled and kissed her again, easing her bottoms off as he did so.

"I can tell," she laughed when they broke apart again. She suddenly rolled off him and grabbed her beach towel off the chair, wrapping it around herself.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked, shocked and still very much aroused.

"I think I am going to take a nap," she said and then began walking back up to the condo.

"Wait- what?" Tony jumped up and searched frantically for his own towel, in hopes of hiding the obvious from McGee, before chasing after her.

"McGee," Ziva called to him, closing the door behind her. McGee looked up from the lettuce he was cutting. "Tell Tony I am in my room, sleeping." She smiled and walked gracefully and quickly on her toes across the wood floor and up the stairs.

"Where's Ziva?" Tony said, bursting through the door seconds later.

"She's sleeping, Tony. You probably shouldn't disturb her."

"I plan on doing more then that," Tony joked, awkwardly jogging through the living room. He had barely taken one step up the stairs when something fell on his head. He pulled it off and, realizing it was Ziva's towel, turned around and looked up just as she disappeared over the banister. He laughed and ran up the stairs. McGee just shook his head and turned back to his lunch.

Tony stopped at the top of the stairs, looking around before heading to the only one of the three doors that were closed. He opened it slowly and stuck his head in. He saw Ziva lying on the bed under the covers with her back to him, her chest slowly rising and falling. He quietly slipped in, closing the door behind him, and tiptoed over to the bed. He dropped the towel and pulled his bathing suit off before lifting up the covers and climbing in behind Ziva.

"What was that about?" he whispered in her ear, pulling her naked body into his.

"I want our first time to be some place romantic, Tony," Ziva said, rolling over to face him.

"The beach is pretty romantic, if you ask me." He placed a chaste kiss on her lips and wrapped his arm more tightly around her waist.

"A public beach, in the middle of the day?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Good point; but you aren't going to make me wait until tonight, are you?"

"I'm not that mean, Tony," Ziva whispered as she shifted both of them so she was lying on top of him again. He opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by Ziva's tongue getting in his way. He moaned as his hands felt their way up her body, memorizing every detail.


	4. Chapter 4

McGee looked up at the ceiling when he heard a muffled moan. _I told you not to bother her, Tony,_ he thought. He stabbed the salad with his fork and shoved it in his mouth, and then nearly choked as the moaning continued upstairs.

"_Ziva,_" he heard Tony moan.

"Oh great," muttered McGee as he hurriedly gathered his lunch and notebook before walking down to the beach. "This is going to be a long week," he said to himself as he made himself comfortable in the chair that Tony had occupied not half an hour ago. He noted the fact that both pieces of Ziva's bathing suit were lying in the sand next to the chairs. He grabbed it and her bag, placing both up by the path where the water would pull them away at high tide. He sat back down and shook his head, trying not to picture Ziva lying on top of Tony, both of them naked. Instead he picked up his water and took a long sip before returning to his lunch.

He had almost finished his salad when he heard them again- or at least he heard Ziva.

"_Tony!_" she yelled. McGee was able to hear her clearly even over the crashing of the nearby waves. McGee sighed, shaking his head again as he placed the empty salad bowl down and picked up his notebook. He turned to an empty page and labeled it **free writing**.

No one had ever learned what it had taken to finally bring Lisa and Tommy together, and no one had ever thought had been during a case. They had been sent, along with Special Agent McGregor, to Florida to apprehend a serial killer who had been targeting Marines.

_As Special Agent McGregor sat on the beach, reviewing their case file, he could voices coming from the beach house they were staying, but was unable to tell exactly what was being said. He turned his head to look up at the house that rested only a few yards from where he sat. Shaking it off as Tommy and Lisa bickering yet again, he rose from his chair and began walking down the beach, admiring the setting sun as it dipped below the horizon._

_Meanwhile back in the house Tommy has finally told the story of his feelings for Lisa to her. She stands in front of him for a moment in utter surprise. A second ago they had been arguing about who would take the couch in the small two bedroom condo they would be housed up in for the next two weeks. Now he had just told her that he loves her. She opened and closed her mouth a few more times, trying to find the correct words to respond to him with._

"_Tommy…" was all she could manage before he stepped forward and captured her lips with his. Quickly realizing that this was actually happening, Lisa wrapped her arms around Tommy's neck and pressed her body flush against his._

"_Tommy," she moaned into his mouth. She reluctantly pulled back and looked up into his bright green eyes. "I love you too," she whispered before kissing him again. He smiled against her lips and wrapped his arms around her waist before lightly picking her up. She gave a small squeak and wrapped her legs tightly around his torso._

"_Tommy," she moaned again as he walked them up the stairs to the room she had slept in the night before. He laid her down gently on the bed, breaking their kiss again so he could remove his shirt, and then hers. Her caramel skin glowed in the rays of the setting sun._

"_You are so beautiful," he whispered, leaning down and placing a light kiss on each of her collarbones before trailing his lips up her neck._

"_Tommy," Lisa gasped. Tommy gently grabbed her hand that was pulling at his pants and laced his fingers through hers._

McGee stopped writing and looked up, and then back down at his watch. It was almost five-thirty and he was getting hungry again. He listened, it being low tide now the waves were much quieter and, maybe he was just imagining it, but McGee thought that he could still hear moaning coming from the condo. He sighed and shut his notebook before leaning his head back, closing his eyes. He let the distant sound of the waves crashing on the shore lull him to sleep.

"Do you think he's asleep?" Ziva asked, looking down at McGee.

"Only one way to find out," Tony said, letting out a small laugh as he picked up McGee's half empty water bottle and emptying it over his head. At the last second Ziva grabbed the notebook off of McGee's lap and jumped back to avoid the splash of the water.

"DiNozzo!" McGee yelled, jumping up and at Tony, who stepped lightly out of the way. "What did you do?"

"You looked a little dry," he laughed. "Figured you could use some water."

"Where's my notebook?" McGee asked, his tone suddenly more worried then angry.

"Here," Ziva said, not looking up from what she was reading.

"Hey! You can't read that." McGee jumped at her but she turned her back and began reading out loud.

"'_Tommy,' she moaned again as he walked them up the stairs to the room she had slept in the night before. He laid her down gently on the bed, breaking their kiss again so he could remove his shirt, and then hers. Her caramel skin glowed in the rays of the setting sun._

'_You are so beautiful,' he whispered, leaning down and placing a light kiss on each of her collarbones before trailing his lips up her neck._

'_Tommy,' Lisa gasped. Tommy gently grabbed her hand that was pulling at his pants and laced his fingers through hers."_

"Stop it," he growled, grabbing the notebook from her.

"Is that really what you think of us, McNasty," Tony laughed, stepping over the beach chair to stand next to Ziva, his arm snaking around her waist and under the tank top she had put on.

"No, Tony. It's just..."

"Just what, McWriter? Your dreams? Tell me again, is _Tommy_ me or you?"

"It's you, Tony, and-"

"Yeah it is," Tony laughed, bumping his hip against Ziva's.

"What is it you two want?" McGee asked, giving up on trying to even with then.

"Gibbs called, checking up on us. Wants a call into MTAC .P." He said each letter individually.

"How long ago did he call?"

"The time it took for us to walk down here and wake you up, and have this little pointless conversation," Tony said. McGee made no sound as he gathered all his things before following the other two back to the condo.

"You guys aren't going to do that while talking to Gibbs, are you?" McGee asked as they walked inside, indicating their conjoined hands. They looked down at them, as if realizing for the first time that they were laced together.

"So what if we do?" snapped Tony.

"He'll probably kill you," McGee said, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"_Who am I killing?"_ came a voice from the other side of the room. They all looked over at the computer that sat on the kitchen counter, facing away from them. Tony dropped Ziva's hand and walked over to it.

"McGee, for sleeping on the job," he answered, a look of complete seriousness on his face.

"Didn't I tell you to go and get him?"

"We did, Boss. He's right there." Tony pointed at McGee, who quickly stepped into the view of the camera.

"Hi, Boss," McGee said, giving a small wave.

"Ziva!"

"Here, Gibbs.

"What do you have?"

"I canvassed the area this morning. Paper box neighborhood, all-"

"It's cardboard box," interrupted Tony.

"All the houses look the same from the outside, but I was unable to get inside without looking suspicious," she continued, ignoring Tony correction. Gibbs' gaze turned to McGee.

"I've been reviewing the case file and it appears that the suspect, Samantha Belle, has been targeting male Marines in their early thirties.

"Samantha 'Sammy' Belle married Staff Sergeant Trevor Belle four years ago. He was killed two years after their marriage in battle. According to medical records, Belle was checked into a mental hospital two months after her husband's death. She was there for three weeks before she disappeared one night never to be seen again."

"Until now," Tony said. They all directed their attention to him. "She surfaced again two weeks ago when we found the body of Corporal Matthew Morris. Starting in New Jersey going south, she's killed a Marine in every state on the east coast, every two days. We plan on making McGee the Florida target."

"Wait what?" McGee yelled. "When did we decide on that?"

"Me and Ziva came up with a plan. Since she's been picking up her victims in bars, we figured have Ziva befriend her and I'll be your wingman. You try flirting with Ziva, start boasting that you're a Marine, she turns you down there for opening you up for Sammy to grab the bait."

"I am not being bait in this, DiNozzo."

"Yeah you are, McGee. Good job you two. Go get ready; familiarize yourself with the area and let people get to know you," Gibbs said and the line went dead.

"What was that?" McGee yelled, throwing his arms in the air.

"That was us making progress on the case," Tony said.

"By making me the next target for a serial killer."

"Relax, McGee, we're going to be with you the whole time."

"Well, sort of," said Ziva. McGee turned to her, fear evident in his eyes. "If you succeed in 'hooking up' with her, then there will be a time when we are only in contact with the mikes."

"You're going to leave me alone in some hotel with a serial killer?"

"You know, McGee, if you stop saying it like that it might seem less crazy."

"What am I spouse to call her, DiNozzo, my new girlfriend?"

"Yeah."


	5. Chapter 5

"We should go get ready," Ziva interrupted, sensing that McGee was getting really angry.

"What are we going to wear?" Tony gasped trailing Ziva upstairs, closely followed by a still seething McGee.

"We are three people, who _do not _know each other, who are on vacation."

"This just sounds like your excuse to make out and not get yelled at by Gibbs." The other two looked at each other, smiling, before they disappeared into their room.

"How did I get wrapped up in this," McGee muttered walking into his own room. He emerged five minutes later wearing kaki shorts and a flower-patterned shirt. He walked over and stood next to the door of the other bedroom. He could hear something, but it wasn't coming from their room. He turned and made his way over to the bathroom at the end of the hall. He could see a light under the door, even though it was barely dark outside at five-thirty.

"Are you two getting ready or just fooling around in there," he shouted over the noise of the shower.

"Go away, McGee, we'll be out in a second," Tony yelled back.

"Why don't I just leave now? We're not spouse to know each other, remember?"

"Yeah, McGoo, what ever." McGee shook his head and walked down stairs, calling a taxi on his way. He ran back upstairs a second later to grab his gun and badge, shoving both into his over sided pockets.

"Where to?" the driver asked when McGee climbed in, turning down the radio so he could hear. He was a middle-aged man with tanned skin and enough hair on his head to make at least five wigs.

"I don't know? What's the happening bar around here?"

"Frankie's. There are hot bods and good beer, neither of which will cost you too much."

"To Frankie's then." The man turned back around in his seat and pulled away from the curb, increasing the radio volume as he did so. McGee pulled out his phone again and texted Tony and Ziva .

_I'm at Frankie's. You two should go to two DIFFERENT places so we can scope them out. |McGee|_

A few minutes later Tony replied.

_thx 4 pointing out the obvious timmy and dont forget youre spouse to be a marine zivas going 2 some place called puzzles and im going 2 beaches, bars and babes |Tony|_

_Is that a strip club Tony? |McGee_|

_no its a bar, that has dancing- women, but its not a strip club i tried that but ziva punched me |Tony|_

_Good, you deserve it, especially for your grammar, it stinks. |McGee|_

_its called txting, mceighties |Tony|_

_Whatever, I'll talk to you guys later, I just arrived at my place. |McGee|_

_TTYL Probie :p |Tony|_

_-_- |McGee|_

_*_* |Tony|_

__ |McGee|_

_Would you two stop acting like five year olds and get back to work! |Ziva|_

_yes mother :D |Tony|_

_Do you want me to make you sleep on the couch again? |Ziva|_

_Please do! |McGee|_

_:`( |Tony|_

_Got to go, some really cute guy just walked up to me |Ziva|_

_Tell him ur taken! |Tony|_

_Sorry, Tony, I do not know what you are saying ;) |Ziva|_

_:-{{ |Tony|_

_I still do not know what you are saying. |Ziva|_

_I think he's angry. |McGee|_

_I was just kidding, Tony |Ziva|_

_Or was she… |McGee|_

_SHUT UP MCDEAD! |Tony|_

* * *

Ziva smiled, pocketing her phone and looking up at the man who had indeed approached her, and who was indeed _very_ cute. His shaggy brown hair stuck up at odd angles, reminding Ziva an eerie amount of Tony.

"Who was that?" he asked, leaning on the counter next to her.

"Ah, my brothers. They can be overly protective sometimes." Ziva nodded a thanks to the waitress who had just brought her drink before taking a sip.

"Well they have nothing to worry about," he laughed. "I'm Tony."

"What?" Ziva choked on her drink, quickly wiping her face and turning back to _Tony._ "Sorry, that's my brother's name too."

"Well it is a very common name. So tell me, do you happen to have the same name as my sister?"

"I doubt- maybe, I'm Lisa" Ziva held out her hand, Tony took it and gave it a firm shake.

"I have a confession," he said.

"Already?" Ziva laughed.

"I don't have a sister."

"I forgive you." They both gave a small chuckle before falling into an awkward silence.

"So where are you from, Lisa?" Tony asked, jumping into small talk.

"Ah, Tennessee, but I grew up in Washington, DC. What about you?"

"I'm a hometown boy. Grew up half an hour from here."

"That's nice."

"So, what do you do for a living?"

"I am a…painter," she said, quickly trying to figure out her cover. _I should have thought of this earlier,_ she thought, smiling again.

"Oh, that's nice. I wonder if I've seen any of your work, my cousin is an art consultant or something like that."

"Probably not. I am not that, well known."

"You never know," he shrugged and took a swig of his beer that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"How about you?" She reached out and patted his arm.

"I work in one of the dairy bars along the beach, nothing special." He shrugged again and looked away from her.

"Hey, that sounds really cool," Ziva reassured, gently rubbing his shoulder.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked, turning back to her. She nodded. "When I walked over here I thought for sure you would take one look at me and laugh."

"Why would I do that?" she asked, genially confused.

"Because, you're this beautiful woman, and I'm just some lousy dairy bar boy." He threw his arm up in the air and let it slam onto the counter.

"Don't say that." She patted his shoulder again and looked around the room. Seeing some other boys watching them intently she leaned in close to Tony and whispered in his ear. "Did your friends dare you to come and talk to me?"

"Yeah, how did you-?"

"They are watching us," she smiled. "What did you bet?"

"Twenty bucks," he muttered.

"Well you are about to be twenty _bucks_ richer." He looked over at her just as she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his, a mental picture of her Tony flashing past her eyes the whole time.

"That ought to keep the cats at bay for a while," she said when they parted a few moments later.

"I think you mean dogs," Tony laughed.

"Your friends do not look like dogs to me." Tony laughed out loud, throwing his head back. Just then Ziva's phone buzzed. "Excuse me, that is probably the bros." She got up from her stool and walked outside the bar.

"_Hello, Tony,_" she said dully.

"_You having fun without me, Zee-vah?"_

"_Yes. I met a guy and he is a very good kisser."_

"_What!"_

"_Relax, Tony. It was just a kiss and it really was not that great. I plan on making an excuse to leave after this. I think I have made a mark as an easy 'hook up' by now."_

"_I really don't like how that sounds."_

"_You can have me however you want when we get back to the condo tonight,_" Ziva promised in a seductive tone.

"_You bet I will,_" he laughed. _"Got to go sis, your future sister-in-law just walked up."_

"_That's it you are sleeping on the couch!"_ Ziva hung up the phone and shoved it back in her pocket.

"Angry husband?" Ziva spun around to see dairy bar Tony standing behind her.

"No. I am here with a girl friend and she just told me that she stole one of my favorite outfits, again. I have to go take care of her. Bye, Tony." She gave a small wave before heading towards the street, pulling out her phone to call a cab as she did.

"Wait, Lisa, can I have your number?"

"Um, sure," she said hesitantly. "Here give me your phone, I'll type it in for you."

"Great." Tony pulled out his phone and handed it to her. She quickly typed in her old phone number, mentally apologizing to whoever had the number now, before handing it back to him.

"I will talk to you later," she said. Tony stood there smiling like an idiot while she stood on the curb waiting for her ride.

* * *

"I'm not sure about future sister-in-law," the bottle blond who had walked up to Tony said. "I was thinking something more along the lines of one-night-stand-in-law." She placed her hands on his chest and shoulder, pushing her body up against his.

"I could go for that," Tony laughed before the woman suddenly attached her lips to Tony's.

"Mmm mmm mmm mm mmmm," he mumbled against her mouth. Her response was to force his mouth open with her tongue and press her body more firmly against his. Tony, trying to maintain his cover, quickly conjured up a mental image of a naked Ziva and wrapped his arms around the strange woman's slender waist. They broke apart suddenly when Tony's phone rang.

"Sorry, it's the sis again," he said, thankful for an excuse to leave. He walked towards the door and stood with his back to the crowd before answering the phone.

"_Hello, Zee-vah, just thought I'd let you know you interrupted some blond from having her way with me."_

"_Good, because it is almost eleven o'clock and I'm getting lonely,"_ Ziva said in a tone she knew would get Tony excited.

"_Don't move I'll be right there," _Tony said trying to sound really worried. He turned around and almost ran into the blond he had been making out with.

"I gotta go," he stuttered, pointing at his phone. "My sister's ex-boyfriend just broke into her house."

"Oh poor baby. I-" Tony didn't wait to hear what she had to say as he ran down the short alleyway to the main road. He saw someone exiting a taxi a few strides away from him and quickly jumped in the back before they could drive away.

He told the cabbie the address they were staying at. "And step on it," he added. They arrived at the condo less then thirty minutes later and Tony jumped out, almost forgetting to pay the driver.

"Here you go," Tony said, handing the man a fifty-dollar bill. "Keep the change."

"Thanks man," the cabbie said. Tony waved his hand over his shoulder as he sprinted up the walk. The house was completely dark, McGee obviously wasn't back yet, and that just urged Tony to move even faster. He bolted up the stairs and stopped when he saw a piece of paper taped to door of the room they were staying in.

_**You left my bathing suit on the beach, come find ******__me, I mean__** it**_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: sorry this took so long, but finals are here and upon us and I have not had time to write much.**

**But here is the next chapter and, depending on where you come from, this could be bordering on an M rating. Sorry it's short but I wanted to keep everything in the next chapter grouped together. I should be done with it by the end of the week... maybe.**

* * *

Tony smiled and ran back down the stairs and down to the beach. As he approached he could see a circle of flickering candles resting in the sand. He could see the slender body of a woman in the dull glow of the candles.

"Ziva?" he asked quietly.

"What took you so long, Tony?" she purred, rolling over onto her stomach to look at him. He could see the candles reflecting in her eyes.

"The, ah, ah…"

"Are you going to join me, Tony, or are you going to watch the candles burn out?" That snapped Tony out of his trance and he quickly shed his clothes, making careful not to disturb the candles as stepped over them.

"What's this all about?" he asked as he lay down next to Ziva. She rolled over again so she was lying half on top of him, pressing her naked body into his.

"I love you, Tony," she whispered against his ear. It took him a second to register what she had just said. After a moment he smiled and she continued talking. "I have admitted to myself that I do indeed love you, very much. And it would kill me if I didn't tell you soon."

"Ziva," he muttered after she had finished. "I- I love you too. And I have for a long time, but I never knew if you felt the same." He felt her smile against his cheek before moving her head to the side and gently kissing his lips. He tangled his hand in her hair, pulling her closer as he intensified the kiss.

"Tony, " she muttered, "you can touch me now." He let out a small laugh as he wrapped his arms around her and grabbed her ass, pulling her completely on top of him.

* * *

"Tony! Ziva!" McGee yelled as he walked back into the condo that around midnight that night. When they didn't respond he stopped and listened. _Nope, they're not upstairs,_ he thought as he began turning on all the lights. He pulled out his phone and called Tony, and then hung up again when it began to ring on the counter. He tried Ziva's next and found it on the windowsill facing the beach. There was a note tucked under her phone.

_**Tony and I are on the beach. If you interrupt us, I will kill you. See you in the morning, maybe ~Ziva**_

"Oh great," McGee groaned out loud, crumpling the paper and shoving it in his jacket pocket before stomping up the stairs to his room.

"Those two get to play house while I have to be bait for a serial killer," he grumbled, as he got ready for bed. He stripped down to his under shirt and boxers before opening his suitcase to look for his toiletries.

"And to make it even worse I forgot my toothbrush." He threw his arms up in the air in disbelief. "Why does this always happen to me?" he yelled as he collapsed on the bed.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Ziva awoke suddenly when she felt something hit her foot. She lifted her head from Tony chest and looked down just as another wave brushed over her feet.

"Tony," Ziva said, gently shaking his chest. "Tony wake up, we are about to be washed away."

"I'll go anywhere as long as I get to be with you," he mumbled, still half asleep.

"That's cute, Tony, but seriously it is time to get up." She shook him one more time before he finally opened his eyes and looked at her.

"You have sand in your hair," he laughed, pushing some off of her face.

"As do you," she smiled and ran her hand across his hairy chest. He leaned forward slightly and pressed his lips to hers as he rolled on top of her and tangled his hands in her messy hair.

"As much as I would love morning sex on the beach with you, Tony, it is time to go. Also we are going to be very wet in a minute."

"You bet we are," he whispered in her ear with a slight chuckle.

"You know what I mean." She couldn't help but smile as she pushed him off of her and reached for one of the beach towels she had brought down the night before. She threw one at Tony, who was lying on his back again letting the cold water wash around his knees.

"Hey," he yelled when the towel landed on his face.

"There are people coming, Tony," Ziva called back to him as she walked away.

"Where?" he gasped, jumping up and wrapping the towel around his waist. He looked around and, seeing no one on the beach, turned and grabbed his discarded clothing before running after Ziva.

"There was nobody near us," he said when he caught up to her on the stairs.

"I know," she smiled over her shoulder at him before pushing open the door. McGee looked up from his breakfast on the couch as they walked in.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but how was your night?"

"It was good," Ziva nodded.

"It was more then good if you ask me," Tony said, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing the side of her head.

"I'm going to take a shower," she whispered to Tony. "_Alone,_" she added when Tony tried to follow her.

"I was just going to change," he complained.

"Sure you were," she smirked as she scampered up the stairs. Tony walked up after her and returned a few minutes later in his clothes from the day before. He sat down the arm chair across from the couch.

"So…" McGee said when he returned, drawing out the 'o' in an awkward manner.

"What McSnoopy?"

"Keeping it PG, what happened last night?"

"She told me she loves me," Tony answered simply with a small shrug.

"Really?" McGee asked, suddenly very interested. "Did you… say it back?"

"Of course. Do you think I would be talking to you if I didn't."

"Good point." McGee gave a small nod of understanding before tuning back to his breakfast, probing no farther.

"So how was your night?" Tony asked when McGee placed his empty plate on the coffee table.

"Well it started with me thinking I was walking into a normal bar and ended with this," he pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table. Tony picked it up and uncrumpled the napkin so he could read what was written on it.

"Hey, you got a number. Good job, McGee. So tell me," Tony leaned forward, "was she cute?"

"It wasn't a _she_. The taxi driver brought me to a gay bar." Tony burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching his stomach.

"And you stayed?" Tony asked when he finally caught his breath.

"No, I walked in, realized where I was and turned to leave when some guy came up to me. He just smiled and slipped that into my shirt pocket before walking away again."

"How did you end up there anyway?"

"I told the cabbie to take me to the happening place."

"And he automatically brought you to a gay bar," Tony laughed.

"I don't see why that's so funny, DiNozzo."

"Tony, be nice." They both turned as Ziva walked down the stairs.

"Did you steal my shirt?" Tony asked, indicating the Ohio State shirt that hung loosely on her slender frame.

"Yup," she answered simply as she fell down onto Tony's lap, her legs hanging over the side.

"Can I help you?" Tony asked, his arms in suspended in the air like wings.

"McGee is taking up the couch, and you are very comfy." She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his. She began twisting and raking her fingers trough the short hairs at the base of his neck as the men continued their earlier conversation.

"So what did you do after you left the first bar?" Tony asked, lowering his arms and turning back to McGee.

"I went to the bar Ziva was at, Puzzles. I must have gotten there right after you left." McGee looked down suddenly when his phone vibrated. "Belle's here, time to go make friends, Ziva."

"Ugh, can we not just _make friends_ when we're drunk?"

"And how do you fathom doing that?" McGee asked, skeptically.

"Say, you look lonely mind if I join you. It is not that hard to get someone who's in a bar to talk to you."

"Maybe for you it's not," Tony scoffed.

"What is really hard is getting them to not talk to you. Unless of course they are cowards like the guy I met last night. Did I tell you that his name was Tony?"

"Really?" asked McGee.

"Yeah, same as my brother," she said, winking at her Tony.

"Anyway, so what's our plan of attack for tonight?" Tony asked, his tone slightly annoyed.

"I befriend Belle," Ziva started.

"I try to pick her up with you as my wing man," McGee added. "I also accidentally happen to mention that I am a Marine."

"I hit him down-"

"Shoot," Tony corrected. Ziva lightly smacked the back of his head before continuing.

"I _shoot_ him down, thereby opening him up to Belle and me to Tony. He uses one of his lame pick up lines-"

"Hey!"

"Stop interrupting, Tony. Anyway, we head out and set up in Belle's condo, which means that you have to keep her there for at least twenty minutes."

"How do you suggest I do that?" McGee asked.

"You're trying to hook up with her, McVirgin, get creative."

"I know, DiNozzo, but most of the time when you hook up with someone you want to get out of there as fast as possible."

"I don't know, distract her somehow."

"There was a pool table there," Ziva pointed out.

"Where? I didn't see a pool table."

"I didn't either, but I could hear it."

"I could barely hear myself think in there. How did you hear people playing pool?"

"When I do not want to think about what I am are actually doing, I latch onto the smallest noise I can hear and figure out what it is."

"How long were you kissing this guy for?" Tony asked.

"Just a few seconds," Ziva answered, sounding very guilty. "And didn't you say you had met my future sister-in-law. How did it go with her?"

"Too much tongue." Ziva slapped him again as he began to laugh uncontrollably. "In my defense she kissed me, and I was thinking about you the whole time."

"I'm sure. What was I wearing?"

"Ah, the same expression as last night."

"Oh, really, Tony? You had to put that picture in my head?" McGee covered his eyes with his hand his shook his head. When neither one of them responded he looked up again.

"Hey!" he yelled, causing the other two to break apart and look at him.

"What?" Tony asked.

"Save it for tonight."

"We were just practicing," Tony laughed, kissing Ziva's cheek.

"He is telling the truth, McGee. He does need quite a bit of practice."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, sounding offended.

"You could use a little help in the kissing department."

"What's wrong with it?"

"_To much tongue._" She tried to hold a straight face as she gauged his reaction, but gave up almost immediately as Tony made a face like he was going to cry. McGee joined her, doubling over in laughter as Tony held the look a punished child.

"Relax, Tony, I was just kidding," Ziva reassured after a while, patting Tony shoulder.

"I don't believe you," he pouted.

"Well I will just have to make you then." She gently moved his face towards him and kissed him. Gently at first but it quickly escalated.

"I'll be on the beach if you need me," McGee said, though he doubted either one of them heard him. When the back door closed Tony picked Ziva up, one arm under her legs the other under her back, and carried her to the couch. He laid her down on it and then lowered himself down on top of her without breaking the contact between their lips.

"I love you," she muttered against his lips. He pulled back for the first time and gazed at her.

"Not quite sure how I feel right now," he said, a smiled painted on his face. Ziva slapped his chest and he let out a small laugh before pressing his mouth to hers again.

"I love you too, Ziva," he whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

"You can come back, McGee," Ziva yelled from the back porch. McGee closed his notebook and stood up from the beach chair.

"Were you writing about us again?" Ziva asked when he reached her.

"No," McGee lied not at all convincingly.

"Hand it over," she said, holding out her hand.

"No," he tried. Ziva took a step towards him so she had to bend her neck to keep eye contact.

"_No_?"

"Yes." He held the book out to her.

"That's better," she smiled and took it from him.

"What are you going to do with it?" he asked as she walked away.

"I am just going to read it, McGee." She sat down on the couch and opened the notebook as McGee stood in the doorway watching her.

"You can sit down, McGee, I am not going to hurt you," she said without looking up from what she was reading. He did, making his way over to the armchair and sitting down in it uncertainly, still not convinced that Ziva wasn't about to suddenly jump up and strangle him.

"Interesting," Ziva said a few minutes later, placing the notebook on lap.

"What?" asked McGee.

"Your story. Tell me, does Special Agent _McGregor_ know what Tommy and Lisa are doing, or does he assume that they are just sleeping- together." A mischievous smile crossed her face as she looked up at McGee.

"Ah, no, he does know. Not at first anyway, but I think he's going to figure it out by the end of the trip."

"Figure what out?" Tony asked as he walked down the stairs.

"That Lisa and Tommy are sleeping together," Ziva answered, watching Tony as he walked over to the couch. He pecked her lips as he sat down next to her and his hand came to rest on her leg.

"Thom E. Gemcity's at it again is he? How intrusive is this chapter?"

"I'm writing about fictional characters, Tony."

"Who are based on real people, a.k.a us."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"So you just happen to be writing about how Tommy and Lisa hooked up at the same time that me and Ziva do?"

"Yes," McGee tried, his eyes darting back and forth between Tony and Ziva

"No."

"He gets inspiration from the people around him, it is not a crime, Tony," Ziva said.

"Maybe he needs some more inspiration then." Ziva turned to look at Tony just as he leaned towards her. Their lips met and Tony moved his hand farther up her leg, pulling her closer to him. She let out a throaty growl as his other hand found its way under her shirt.

McGee sat there, watching his co-workers make out, unsure of weather he should be weirded out, shocked, or some other emotion that was yet to cross his mind. He opened his mouth to say something when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and, seeing that it was Abby calling, turned the camera on and answered.

"Hi Mc-" McGee cut her off, holding his finger to his lips. He turned the phone around so Abby could see Tony and Ziva.

"Yay!" she yelled, making the other two jump apart.

"McGee!" they both yelled. He smiled and shrugged as Abby began babbling.

"Oh it sure took you two long enough. How long has it been, like eight years? I don't know why you waited so long, it was obvious both of you liked each other. Even Gibbs couldn't deny it. I can't wait to tell everybody!"

"Abby," Ziva finally said, interrupting the Goth.

"What?"

"You can't tell anyone."

"Why not?" Abby whined.

"Because Gibbs would kill us," Tony said.

"Gibbs already knows," Abby said, her tone apologetic.

"How?" all three asked in unison.

"Because he's standing right here," Gibbs said.

"Hi, Gibbs," Tony gave a small laugh as his boss stepped into the view of the camera.

"DiNozzo, David." His eyes flicked back and forth between the two for a second before he spoke again. "Abby, McGee, can you give us a second?" McGee stood up and began walk up the stairs when he suddenly turned around again and handed the phone to Tony.

"Sorry, Boss," McGee muttered before running up the stairs.

"Ziva," Gibbs started, "slap DiNozzo." Ziva did, slapping the back of Tony's head like Gibbs always did.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Breaking the rules," Gibbs answered, his voice no less threatening over the phone then it was in real life.

"How come she doesn't get a slap?"

"Because she didn't start this."

"How do you- okay, point taken," Tony nodded, a smile slipping onto his face.

"Slap him again." Ziva raised her hand to hit Tony again but he grabbed her arm before she could. He raised his eyes brows at her in a questioning manner.

"I was just going to pat your cheek," she said.

"Sure you were," Tony laughed and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Ziva's.

"Hey!" Gibbs yelled, startling the two agents.

"Sorry, Boss, forgot you were there," Tony muttered lamely.

"If either of you disobey my rules again, whatever you threatened McGee with isn't half as bad as what I will do to you." The screen went black for a second before the end call screen popped up.

"Well that went well," Tony said.

"It's not like he can kill us over the phone."

"This is Gibbs we're talking about."

"May as well live what little of our lives that are left as best we can." Tony smiled and tossed McGee's phone onto the table before attaching his mouth to Ziva's again. She moaned and fell back onto the couch with Tony on top of her. He eased his hands up her torso, making her growl again. He pushed her shirt over her head, kissing up her stomach and over the swell of her breasts.

"Hey guys are you I didn't hear any talking, are you done with Gibbs because it's- oh! come on guys really?" McGee turned his back to the couch, covering his eyes.

"What are we spouse to do, Probie, but up a warning sign?" Tony called as he grabbed Ziva's shirt off the floor.

"That would be nice. Can I come back down yet?"

"Yes, McGee," Ziva answered, straightening her clothes. He walked back down the stairs and fell into the chair he had previously occupied.

"So when are you planning on heading out?" McGee asked.

"Well, I should probably leave before you two. Maybe around seven," Ziva shrugged.

"That's in two hours," Tony said, looking down at his watch. "Which means we have time to kill. This is your warning, McSensitive." Tony jumped up and grabbed Ziva's hand, basically dragging her up the stair behind him.

"Thank you!" McGee yelled after them before standing up, picking up his notebook and heading outside.


	9. Chapter 9

At quarter of seven Ziva walked back down stairs, fixing her earring as she went.

"Wow," Tony said when he turned to look at her.

"You have seen me naked, Tony, and this is what you say wow to?" she laughed, looking down at her flowery beach dress. She adjusted the red satin bow that was tied around her waist.

"I've never seen you in a strapless before."

"Strapless what?"

"Your dress, it's strapless," Tony laughed, standing up and walking over to Ziva. He ran his hands over her bare shoulders. "Wow," he breathed again before kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"Is that the only adjective you know?" Ziva joked, her arms snaking around his neck.

"No, because I have an _amazing_ view right now," he tilted his head down, making it obvious he was looking down her dress.

"Stop it," Ziva said, slapping his chest playfully.

"Nah," Tony said. Ziva shrugged and walked away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Tony called, chasing after her.

"To do my job, Tony. I trust I will see you at the bar by eight. GPS in Belle's phone say she is at _Puzzles,_ the bar I went to last night." She threw him a sexy look over her shoulder before heading outside.

"Tonight is going to be awesome," Tony cheered throwing his hands up in the air.

"For you maybe," McGee mumbled, walking down the stairs.

"I told you to look on the bright side, McPessimist."

"That's easy for you to say, you're sleeping with Ziva."

"You bet I am," Tony said, clapping his hands on McGee's shoulders. "We should probably go over what we're going to do tonight." He let go of McGee and walked into the kitchen area. He opened the fridge and pulled out a soda before turning to face McGee.

"I say that you try to pick up Ziva," Tony started. "Somehow we have to nonchalantly tell Belle that you're a Marine. Maybe I'll give you a pep talk."

"Sounds good," McGee nodded. "So Ziva's going to reject me and that gets Belle interested."

"I duck out with Ziva a few minutes later to set up surveillance in Belle's condo. If it's much longer then that I'll let you know. If she starts getting anxious or suspicious send a text and we'll be ready."

"Okay," McGee nodded again. "You want to head out soon, it's almost seven thirty."

"Sure, meet you back here in five." They both walked up stairs to change into more suitable clothing for the night.

"Hi," Ziva said, sliding onto a barstool.

"Can I help you?" asked the woman next to her.

"Just thought you looked like you could use some company. I'm Lisa," Ziva held out her hand.

"Sammy," she shook hands with Ziva. "So, Lisa, what are you doing here?" She took a swig of the beer in her hand.

Looking for ä man who knows what he's doing. I just dumped my boyfriend because he was… oh what's the word?"

"Lazy?"

"No, more like questioning."

"Oh…"

"What about you?" Ziva took a sip of her own drink, watching Sammy intently.

"Same," she said, almost to quickly. They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, sipping their beers, avoiding looking at each other at the same time. Ziva looked around the bar, she hadn't really had a chance to the night before because of dairy bar Tony. It looked like any normal bar, with a long waist high bar and tables of various sizes scattered around the floor space for dinning. There was a small area in the middle of the large room that had been cleared of tables, presumable for dancing, Ziva thought as she finished off her drink.

Ziva looked down at her watch, it was almost eight. _Where are the boys?_ She thought just as they walked thought as they walked through the doorway. She turned back to Belle, a huge grin painted on her face.

"Check out the hottie that just walked through the door," she said over the music.

"Which one because they're both kinda cute."

"The shorter one in the solid blue shirt," Ziva answered, pointing to Tony.

"Good because I call dibs on the other one," Belle muttered, sitting up and straightening her clothes. Ziva quickly pulled out her phone and texted Tony, pretending to check her make up.

_Belle called dibs on McGee. |Ziva|_

_good cause i call dibs on u ;D |Tony|_ Ziva shook her head and pocketed her phone again as the other two approached her and Belle.

"Hi," McGee said to neither one in particular, but his eyes were trained on Belle.

"Hi," she said holding out her hand. "I'm Sammy."

"Richard," McGee said, shaking her hand.

"That's not your full name," Tony laughed, elbowing McGee in the side. "Do what I told you to do." McGee sighed and stood up straight.

"Lance Corporal Richard Conwell reporting for duty."

"Oh, I get the pleasure of entertaining a Marine tonight, how nice," she smiled over at Ziva.

"How about you?" Tony asked, holding his hand up to Ziva.

"I'm Lisa." She placed her hand on his and he raised it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

"_Lisa_, how nice to meet you. I'm Tommy." Ziva tried to stifle a laugh as he let go of her hand.

"Can I get you something to drink?" as the bartender as Tony and McGee sat down on either side of the girls.

"I'll take whatever she orders," Tony said, looking sideways at Ziva. She held up her empty bottle and the bartender took it before grabbing two new ones.

"What about you?" he turned to McGee.

"Same, and another one for the lovely lady."

"So how do you two know each other?" Tony asked, trying to make small talk and hold their cover.

"She came over here and said I looked like I needed company," Belle laughed. Ziva opened her mouth to say something when Tony suddenly interrupted her.

"Oh, I love this song. Do you want to dance?"

"Sure," Ziva laughed as Tony dragged her to the dance floor.

"Shall we join them?" McGee asked, holding up his arm.

"Okay," Belle laughed, linking her arm through his. They walked over and began dancing next to Tony and Ziva, who were trying to act like people who just met. They were dancing about a foot apart, but slowly inching towards each other. By the time the song was over Tony was grinding against Ziva's backside, his hands resting on her low waist and his face buried in the crook of her neck. Both McGee and Belle were watching them, amused looks on their faces when all of a sudden McGee grabbed Belle's hands and spun her around before pulling her against him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, letting go of her and taking a few steps back.

"Don't be sorry," she said, stepping towards him again just as a slow song came on. By instinct McGee wrapped on arm around her waist and took her opposite hand in his, as they began to sway to the music. McGee looked over and saw Tony and Ziva rocking back and forth, her arms wrapped around his neck and her head resting on his chest. _They look like teenagers at a school dance,_ McGee thought with a smile as he twirled Belle around. When she came spinning into his chest this time she didn't take the small step back like before, instead she looked up at him, the multi–colored lights reflecting in her eyes and McGee couldn't help but bend down and place a gently kiss on her lips.

"They are kissing," Ziva whispered to Tony. Tony said nothing but moved and kissed her too. She quickly deepened the kiss while still trying to make it look like this was their first time.

"You want to head back to my place, Lisa?" Tony asked, loud enough for the other two to hear, not that they responded in any way. He nodded and pulled her off the dance floor, throwing a few bills on the bar before she could drag him out the door. She called for a taxi as they quickly walked to the road. They took the chance to lock lips again as they waited for their ride.

McGee watched over Belle's shoulder as the other two ran out of the bar.

"That didn't take long," Belle laughed in his ear.

"That's not even his record," McGee said, thinking of all the other times he gone to a bar with Tony, and when Ziva wasn't there.

"Do you want to go too?" McGee froze, quickly coming up with some lame excuse of why not to leave.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So this is the second to last to last chapter, and there is no space for argument on this matter. Enjoy, read and then review :)**

* * *

"No, ah, I kinda want to dance a little more."

"Good, because I do to," she smiled up at him, before kissing him lightly on the lips and then leaning her head back on his chest.

The song ended soon after that and they moved back into a fast pace of dancing while still staying close to each other. They got through about six more songs, swaying, grinding and dancing near and around each other.

"I think I'm ready to go now," Belle panted as the next song came on. McGee stole a quick look at his watch as they walked back to the bar to pay for their drinks. _It's been about twenty minutes, by the time we get back it should be enough time, _he thought hopefully. McGee called for a cab as they stumbled down the ally.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked, turning in his seat to look at him.

"We should probably go to your place," McGee said. "We don't know where Tommy and Lisa went.

"Good idea," Belle nodded and told the diver the address of the condo she was staying in. She turned to look at McGee who instantly braced his hand behind her head, tangling his fingers in her dirty blond hair, and pressed his lips to her again. Belle gave a small moan and wrapped her arms around his neck. They stayed like this for the whole ride, pressed against each other.

"We're here," the driver said, all to soon. McGee and Belle broke apart, their breathing heavy. McGee pulled out his wallet and threw some random bills at the cabbie.

"Keep the change," he called as he pushed Belle out of the cab and up the walk. He kept his hand just above the swell of her ass as they walked quickly up the path to the front door.

"We're on," Tony whispered as the front door was pushed open. He and Ziva sat in a spacious closet on the first floor of the condo. Both had changed out of their bar clothes and put on something more _opt _acceptable. They had set up cameras and microphones in the entry area, the space leading up to the stairs, one at the top of the stairs, another in the up stairs hallway and multiple in each of the bedrooms. They watched on the first of the three computer screens in front of them as McGee and Belle practically ran through the entry through the kitchen area and up the stairs.

"Someone's excited," Ziva muttered, her eyes flicking to the forth frame as the other two appeared on it.

"Hey, cut the Probie some slack. This is probably the most action he's gotten in a long time," Tony whispered, letting out a small chuckle. Ziva looked over at him and slapped his shoulder before turning back to the screen.

"He probably just wants to get this over with."

"Yeah, so do I. Speaking of which looks like we're needed on stage." Tony stood and grabbed his gun and badge, not taking his eyes off the screen as Belle pushed McGee down on the bed.

"We have to wait for her to actually try to kill him, Tony," Ziva said placing her hand on his arm. He didn't say anything at first, his mind following Belle as she walked away from the bed and over to the dresser

"I know, but I told McGee we would be standing out side the room and to yell when it got to the 'I'm going to kill you' portion of the night."

"Go," Ziva said suddenly, pushing Tony towards the door. He looked back down at the screen as Belle turned around to face McGee again, a large, shiny bland in her hand.

"Now!" Ziva yelled, loud enough to snap Tony out of the trance that had taken over him, but not loud enough for the two upstairs to hear. Tony bolted out of the room, closely followed by Ziva, and bolted up the stairs.

"NCIS!" he yelled as he kick the bedroom door in. His eyes immediately went to McGee who was lying down on the bed, covered in blood.

"McGee," Tony gasped, running over to him.

"I'm fine, Tony, it's not my blood." McGee sat up slowly, his breathing very heavy.

"What happened?" Ziva asked as she walked towards Belle, who lay unconscious on the floor.

"She came at me with the knife, and when you guys didn't bust in right away I kicked her in the nose," McGee explained, whipping some of the blood from his face.

"I thought I had lost you for a second there buddy," Tony said, clapping his hand on McGee's back before helping him up.

"Why don't you go wash up while we wait for your friend to come around," Ziva said, pulling Belle into a sitting position and leaning her against the bed. "And bring another rag back for her."

"We got everything on film," Tony reported appearing in the doorway.

"When did you leave?" asked Ziva, sitting down on the floor in front of Belle.

"Right after I made sure McGoo was okay. What are you doing?"

"Waiting to interrogate Belle," Ziva said as if it was obvious. They both turned at McGee walked back into the room. His face was clean, but his shirt still had spots of blood on it. "Thank you, McGee," she said, taking the towel that hung loosely in his hand. "There are some extra clothes in the closet down stairs for you, and make sure to put that shirt in an evidence bag."

"I know, and thanks," he muttered walking out of the room again. The other two turned back to Belle as she began to stir.

"Wha?" she mumbled, lifting her head up and blinking her eyes.

"Hello again," Ziva said, holding to towel out to her.

"Lisa?" Belle tried to rub her head but stopped when she realized her hands were cuffed together. "What did you do?"

"Sorry about your nose, but that was McGee- I mean _Richard_."

"Who are you people?"

"NCIS," Tony said, holding out his badge. "I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, this is Special Agent Ziva David. And you already had the pleasure of meeting Agent McGee, or at least the bottom of his shoe."

"What do you want?" she asked as she began to dab at her bloody nose. It had stopped flowing and the blood was beginning to dry on her face.

"You," Ziva said shortly. "We know what you have been doing. Picking up Marines in bar and bringing them home to slaughter them." Belle thought for a second before opening her mouth to answer.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"We have you on film," Tony informed. "Wave hi to the camera." He pointed above the door to the nearest camera, which was no bigger then the lens on a pair of glasses.

"I'm not talking without a lawyer."

"Okay, looks like we're going back to DC then. Come on, up you go," Tony said, grabbing under Belle's arm and lifting her off the ground. She stumbled a bit before obediently following Ziva down stairs. Tony kept his hand firmly on her shoulder, making sure she didn't try anything.

"I promise to be a good girl," Belle pouted, trying to shy away from Tony's touch.

"Well that's good," Tony said, tightening his grip on her.

"Yes, Boss, we got her. Here they come now," McGee said, watching the other three descend the stairs. "Will do, Boss," he said a second later before hanging up the phone.

"What'd the Boss man want, Probie?" Tony asked, directing Belle into one of the living room chairs.

"Our flight departs in five hours, and it's your lucky day, DiNozzo, we're not flying commercial this time."

"Ziva, you want to watch our friend here while McGee and I go pack?" Tony asked, ignoring McGee's insult.

"Okay," she nodded.

"See you in a bit." He gave her a small peck on the cheek as he passed her on his way out. She waited until the door closed before lowering herself into the chair across from Belle.

"So I take it that part of your act, wasn't really an act," Belle said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"No," Ziva said softly, not looking away from the door.

"How long have you two been a couple?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Just passing time. It's not like we can talk about what you want to."

"Officially, about two days. But I have loved him for much longer."

"What took you so long to tell him? In this line of work you must face death daily, you never know when the last time you will see the other will be." Ziva shrugged and looked away from the door. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small seashell, gently rubbing it with her thumb. Tony had given it to her the night before after they had made love on the soft sand of the beach.

'_Here,' Tony said, placing the shell in the palm of her hand. 'The perfect shell, for a perfect woman.'_

'_How can you tell it is perfect?' Ziva asked. The candles had long ago burnt out and the crescent moon showed just the outlines of their bare bodies._

'_Because, perfect does not mean it's never been broken, never been swept under the waves and tumbled around. It means that it's strong and never gave up. It didn't abandon hope and let itself be crumbled up into little bits of sand. It pushed forward, knowing somehow it would make it, and everything would be okay.'_

Ziva looked up from the shell. Belle was watching her intently.

"I really do not know," Ziva answered slowly. She brushed her thumb over the jagged edge of the shell before placing it back in her pocket. They were quiet for another minute before Belle smoke up again.

"I did it," she said.

"What?" Ziva asked, Belle's words pulling her out of her thoughts.

"I did it," she repeated. "I killed those men. I killed them because they thought that they could find something worthwhile in a _bar_. They were all just throwing their lives away. Chances were next time they left US soil they would never return to it. I was doing them a favor if you ask me." Ziva said nothing; she just pulled out her phone and texted Tony.

_She just confessed. |Ziva|_

_good makes our lives easier |Tony|_

_I love you, Tony. |Ziva|_

_I love you too, Ziva |Tony|_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm still thinking about an epilogue, but I will not promise anything.**

**P.S. those of you who read _Noises_, expect another chapter/the epilogue**

* * *

"So what was that about last night?" Tony asked as they walked through the parking lot the next day, hand in hand.

"What do you mean?" Ziva asked, turning her head to look at him for a second.

"When you texted and said Belle confessed, and you also said you loved me."

"I'm I not allowed to say I love you, because I really do."

"I know, I love you too, Ziva. It just seemed like you, I don't know…" he trailed off.

"While we were alone, Belle and I were talking, and she asked how long we had been together for. I had said only for the two days on the beach, but that I had loved you for a long time before that. And she had asked what took me so long. She said we never know when the last time we would see each other is, what the last words will be. That is why she did it you know, killed all those men. She thought that they were throwing their lives away in bars when the next time they deployed could be their last." Ziva stopped walking and looked up at Tony, taking his other hand in hers.

"I don't want to throw my life away," she whispered.

"Then marry me," Tony said, as if he had just decided on dinner for the night.

"What?" she gasped. Tony, suddenly alarmed and thinking he had done something wrong, dropped her hands and turned away.

"Nothing," he muttered, "never mind."

"No, Tony," she laughed and grabbed his hand, spinning him back around to face her. She pressed her lips firmly against his, making sure he got the message.

"Is that really what you meant with that whole big speech?" he asked when they parted.

"Kind of," she laughed again. "Deep down I knew that is what I wanted, but I didn't think you would actually get it."

"I am a detective, for a federal agency, and you thought I wouldn't figure it out."

"It took you eight years for you to tell me you love me."

"Took you eight years too." They stared at each other for a few seconds before a smile broke across both of their faces.

"Gibbs is going to kill us," Tony muttered as he leaned forward to kiss her again.

"It took you eight years to figure that out?" Gibbs said sarcastically as he walked by the to agents and over to his car.

"How does he do that?" Tony shook his head before attaching his mouth to Ziva's again.

-Fin-


	12. Epilogue

**A/N: congratulations, I felt like writing an epilogue**

_Two years later_

"You're going undercover."

"Again?"

"Yes, is that going to be a problem?"

"No, Sir."

"Would you like to know you mission?" Vance asked, opening up a file and handing it to Tony, who nodded and took it.

"I'm not going alone," he muttered after a minute.

"We needed two agents to act like a married couple, you two are the only ones I trust to complete the mission. And I know you acted married before, even when you weren't on a mission."

"Why isn't Ziva here now?" Tony asked as he continued to look over the file in his hands.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay with sending her in the field."

"This is as much of her decision as it is mine, and I am not about to make this choice for her. And I'm not saying anything else until she hears about this too." Vance looked at him for a second before pressing a button on his phone.

"Send her in." A second later the door to the office opened and Ziva walked in, coming to take a seat next to Tony. Tony handed her the folder as Vance briefed her.

"Why would I not want to do this?" she asked when the director finished talking.

"It could be dangerous," was all he said.

"And, I have never hid from danger before, I am not about to start now."

"I just thought with you being pregnant and everything."

"It just adds to the cover."

"So you'll do it?" Both Tony and Ziva looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes," they answered together.

_Four months after that_

"You are under arrest, for the murder of Lance Corporal Alex Forman, Lassie Forman, Corporal Barry Cattz and Shelly Cattz, and the assault of NCIS Special Agent Ziva DiNozzo. You have the right to remain silent, if you break that right anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court." Tony watched as Ziva was loaded into the back of an ambulance.

"McGee!" Tony yelled and the younger agent walked over to him. "Go with the-"

"Yeah, I got it, Tony. Go," he smiled and nodded in understanding as Tony ran after the ambulance, jumping in just before the door closed.

"Tony?" Ziva mumbled, her voice slurred from the drugs they had given her, as her head rolled back and forth.

"Yeah, Ziva, it's me. I'm here, honey, it's okay." She gave a weak smile and reached out for his hand.

"Did you see what happened?" one of the EMTs asked Tony.

"No, I had by back turned. We were tracking the suspect and all of a sudden she scream, she never screams." He shook his head and covered his eyes with his free hand.

"How far along is she?"

"Eight months," Tony sighed.

"Sir, you have to be aware that the shock might send her into labor. She suffered trauma to the back of her head and it is possible that the fetus might not live."

"Don't say that!" Tony shouted.

"Tony?" Ziva moaned again.

"Shh, shh, it's okay honey," he assured, gently stroking her hair before leaning down and kissing her forehead. "Everything is going to be okay."

{{NCIS}}

"Tony?" Ziva's eyes fluttered open and she tried to look around the room. "Ow," she gasped. "Tony where are you?"

"I'm right here." She slowly turned her head, trying to avoid too much pain, to see Tony sitting in a chair, holding a balled up blanket in his hands. "I want you to meet someone," he smiled and stood. "Say hi to your ima." The small child reached out blindly as Tony handed her to Ziva.

"What happened?" she asked as she looked down at the little girl.

"Tyrenns hit you in the back of the head."

"That explains the pain in my head."

"And they did a c-section to save the baby. Her eyes weren't fully developed, but other then that, she's fine."

"What do you mean, _not fully developed?_"

"The doctors said that, if she opens her eyes, it will basically be like she's looking through a water glass. She's be able to see colors, but it will all look blotchy, no clear defined lines."

"So she is blind?"

"Basically, yeah." Ziva looked down at her child, who was still clawing at the air. She brought one hand up and into the baby's reach, where her finger was immediately captured in the small fist, making Ziva laugh.

"I do not think that is going to be to big of a problem. She is a fighter."

"Like her mother." Tony smiled and kissed both their foreheads before going back to his bag and retrieving his phone.

"Who are you calling?" she asked as the baby continued to pull at her finger.

"Everyone, well, Abby. Tell her something and everyone else knows within five minutes. Saves me some time." He shrugged and put his phone down on the table before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Hi there," he cooed. "What are we going to call you?"

"Caitlin?" Ziva half suggested, half asked.

"No," Tony shook his head, his mind flashing back to his old partner. "What about Tali? I know how much your sister meant to you."

"No, and same reason as you." _To many memories,_ she thought.

"Yeah. What about Kelly, though Gibbs might kill us."

" Pelia ," Ziva said.

"What?"

"It means _miracle of God_ in Hebrew."

" Pelia," Tony repeated. "How do you know that?"

"My mother used to say me and Tali were her _pelias_."

"That's nice. And now you have your own," he laughed and softly poked Pelia's nose. She twitched and swung at Tony's hand with both of her tiny fists.

They were still laughing and playing with the baby when everyone, led by Abby, burst through the door twenty minutes later.

"Ohh," she squealed, running over to the bed on the opposite side of Tony. "Hi little baby," she cooed, bending over and gently taking her little hand in her own. Pelia ignored that and reached out for Abby's pigtail as it brushed against her face. "Ow, ow, ow." She pulled out of the baby's grasp and backed away looking hurt.

"She's a baby, Abbs, it's nothing personal," Gibbs laughed as he walked up and took her spot.

"Do you want to hold her?" Ziva asked, raising her arms so the older man could slip his hands under the small human's body.

"Hey there," he mumbled, rocking the baby slowly back and forth as he slowly walked towards the others.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" McGee asked.

"Pelia," Ziva answered. Tony smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissing the side of her head as the other's continued to fawn over their child.

"What does it mean?" Palmer piped in.

"Miracle of God," Tony answered, his smile growing wider.

"Can I hold her?" They all looked down at Mackenzie, the baby Palmer and Breena had adopted, now almost five years old.

"Sure honey." Breena picked her up and sat her down in one of the chairs before Gibbs stepped forward.

"Keep you hand under her head," he instructed as he set the baby in the young girls lap. Mackenzie held the baby for a second before Pelia started moving.

"Take her, I don't want to break her." Gibbs laughed and scooped the baby back up, walking over and handing her back to Ziva.

"So how did you come up with Pelia for a name?" McGee asked as Ziva rocked the baby back and forth, trying to calm her from all the excitement.

"Because she is, a miracle, that is. She is over a month early," Ziva sighed and looked down at the now sleeping child. "And she is perfectly healthy, almost."

"Almost?" Abby repeated the key word that changed everything.

"She'll be blind," Tony explained, "if she ever opens her eyes."

_Ten years later_

"Where are my glasses?"

"Right here."

"Where is here?"

"Come on, Pelia, I know you can tell where I am."

"Yeah, and you moved."

"Where am I now?" The older girl smiled and swung her arm around, catching her sister around the neck and slamming her into the ground.

"Okay, you win, here," Kiara choked out and held up the glasses. Pelia put them on and released the eight-year-old girl from her hold.

"Are you two playing nice?" came their mother's voice from down the hall.

"Yes," the answered together. Ziva appeared in the hall a second later, balancing five-year-old Azan on her hip.

"That does not look nice." She raised her eyebrows at them.

"She took my glasses," Pelia accused, pointing at Kiara.

"Be nice," Ziva ordered before disappearing into their brother's room again.

"Dad's home," Pelia said a second before the front door flew open. Tony didn't even have a chance to open his mouth to say hello before the two girls jumped on him.

"Hey," he groaned as his back slammed into the doorframe.

"Tony, you're home!" Ziva cried, running down the hall, Azan in tow. She wrapped her arms around both him and the girls as the small boy hugged his leg.

"Nice greeting party," he laughed as they all let go.

"You have been gone for a week," Ziva exclaimed as Tony shrugged off his jacket and hung it up in the closet.

"Yeah, well, Gibbs made it look easy."

"Gibbs made everything look easy," Ziva scoffed as Tony walked towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, well, you handed in your badge, that was hard enough to adjust to, and then less then a year later Gibbs goes and gets himself shot. At least it wasn't his arm," Tony laughed as he pulled a beer from the fridge. "So he can still work on that boat." He came back into the living room and joined his family on the couch.

"You hungry?" Ziva asked as the kids curled up around them.

"Your favorite," she smiled.

"Is that what I smell," he gasped and Ziva got up again and returned a few minutes later holding a tray of pizza.

"You made me pizza." She nodded and put the tray down on the table.

"Eww, there is gross veggies on it," Kiara squealed just as Ziva slid another tray onto the table.

"What do you say?" Tony prodded at the kids as they reached for the extra cheese pizza.

"Thank you, Mom," they all sang before digging in, each grabbing a piece that Ziva had cut extra small because she knew they wouldn't wait for help. She smiled and sat back down next to Tony. She turned on the television and started the movie she had prepared earlier before grabbing a slice of pizza for herself.

"So you survived without me?" Tony asked, quiet enough that the kids couldn't hear him, not that he was to worried, they were absorbed in some Disney move they had all seen at least five times before.

"Pelia passed her judo test and eye exam, her sight is getting much better. Kiara learned how to do a cartwheel at gymnastics and almost broke the pictures in the hallway while 'practicing', and Azan chewed his way through yet another sippy-cup," she told him before shoving the last of her pizza into her mouth.

"Sounds like they kept you entertained," he snickered, taking the second piece of pizza she offered him.

"Very."

"Still happy with where you went with life?"

"Yes, of course. Why are you asking now?"

"While I was away I was thinking about the case when we got together. How you were talking to the suspect and she asked what took us so long to admit the truth."

"What happened, Tony?" she asked, her tone suddenly very worried.

"Nothing- well, just a small firefight-"

"Tony that is not nothing!" The kids looked up at the sudden outburst from their mother., but brushed it off as unimportant when neither parent continued.

"What happened, Tony?" Ziva repeated, her tone more hushed then before.

"This cop that was helping us, he was shot and killed. Another was badly wounded. Neither had celebrated their thirtieth birthdays yet." He reached out and grabbed Ziva's free hand, giving it a small squeeze before lacing their fingers together. "It's times like these when I'm glad you left when you did."

"Are you thinking about resigning?"

"No, no. I'll end up like Gibbs in that manner, working till they won't let me anymore. It's just making me think about life again."

"Are _you_ still happy with how your life went?" she repeated his earlier question.

"As long as you're here, I'll always be happy." She smiled and happily reciprocated the kiss he gave her.

"Eww," all the kids cried.

"Then don't look," Tony laughed before kissing her again.

{{NCIS}}

"Aww," Tony sighed, settling his head back on the pillow and closing his eyes. "I missed you so much, bed. Sleep isn't the same without you."

"Is there anything else that you missed?" He turned his head to see Ziva standing in the bathroom doorway wearing a red lace slip that he had bought her when they had first gotten married.

"Now that you mention it, yeah." He tried to sit up, but she pushed him back.

"Just relax," she muttered as she came to straddle his waist.

"What about the kids?" he asked as she began unbuttoning his dress shirt.

"They are asleep, just do not make too much noise…" she trailed off as she leaned down and kissed him gently.

"It's not me we really have to worry about," he snickered as she helped him out of the shirt. His mouth attached to hers again as he searched for the tie on the back of her outfit, tugging it lose before he rid her of her shirt.

"Ima?" Ziva jumped and rolled off of Tony, pulling the blanket around her body before staring bewildered at the door.

"Kiara, what do you want?" Tony asked.

"I am thirsty," she muttered, hugging her stuffed horse closer to her as she rubbed her eye.

"Can't you get it yourself?" Tony suggested. She nodded and pulled the door shut again.

"Oh my gosh," Ziva groaned, falling back into the mattress.

"You think she was enough asleep that she won't remember this in the morning?" They held their breath as they heard shuffling feet pass their door, and then released it when another door close down the hallway.

"How long should we wait?" Ziva whispered.

"She's probably already asleep," Tony muttered as he pulled her back into his lap. She giggled and leaned forward as she pulled at his belt buckle. She threw his pants and boxers off to the side and raised her hips so he could do the same just as another small voice echoed through their room.

"Abba, Ima, what are you doing?" Tony quickly pulled the blankets around both of the, before turning to look at Pelia.

"What is it, Aheve?" Ziva sighed.

"Kiara is talking in her sleep again."

"She will stop in a minute. Go back to bed." The little girl nodded and walked back to her room.

"Was she wearing her glasses?" Ziva hissed as she tiptoed over to the door and closed it again.

"No, we're good." Ziva walked back to the bed and was about to climb back in when Tony stopped her a hand on her stomach.

"What?" she demanded.

"Take these off," he smiled and snapped the elastic of her thong.

"What happens if we are interrupted again?"

"There's only one child left," he shrugged and hooked his thumbs in the lacy fabric, pulling it down her legs, since she had made no move to. She stepped out of them and onto the bed before Tony wrapped his arm around her waist, rolling her under him.

"Tony," she squealed, and they both froze, listening intently.

"What happened to staying quiet?" he muttered against her ear.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, it's-"

"A sign of weakness," she finished. "Yeah, I know. Just shut up and kiss me."

"As you wish," he smiled and did as she asked. Her she loosened her fingers from where they were grasping at his hair to trail down his torso, just as the doorknob rattled and the door was pushed open.

"Come on," Ziva gasped, her head falling back into the pillow as Azan shuffled into the room.

"Ima I had bad dream."

"Okay honey," Ziva sighed. "Go back to your room, Ima will be there in a second." The little boy nodded and turned around.

"I will be right back," Ziva muttered, moving out from under Tony. He sat up and ran his hands across her bare back as she reached for her robe.

"Promise?" he whispered against her skin before kissing the base of her neck.

"Promise," she muttered, standing and quickly running out of the room before she got distracted.


End file.
